“And I think the world would be better off if we did leave ….. if we didn’t … if we left, the world would be worse. The world is better off with us not leaving. It’s a mistake to pull out.”

George W Bush – September 20, 2004

New blog version – I can edit and not publish to XML – so you can all miss out on my intermediate musings 🙂

Google has released their video service that indexes the closed caption and takes thumbnails of the videos as they play. Shame they didn’t fix the obvious gotchas with indexing closed caption. How many times in a subtitled film have you seen the text [Music]?

4 Responses to Bushism, Blog And Google Video

Quinn : …the festivities, Judy Bachrach, contributing editor at Vanity Fair Magazine. Judy, welcome to you. We were noticing all the snow in Washington… it’s really coming down! I hope that doesn’t put a crimp in anybody’s plans. Look at that gorgeous shot of the White House.

Bachrach : Well, I have a feeling that maybe it should put a crimp, or at least something should put a crimp in the plans of the White House, they have such a very lavish inaugural, at a time of war, um…

Quinn : Really?

Bachrach : Yes.

Quinn : Oh, OK.

Bachrach : What I’ve noticed is, the worse a war is going, the more lavish the inaugural festivities. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president, during a time of war, of course, as you know, he had a very modest inauguration and a very tiny party, where he served chicken salad, or where chicken salad was served. And that was when we were winning a war.

Quinn : Right, but —

Bachrach : It seems like — sorry.

Quinn : — well, no, I, but look, the president has addressed this, hasn’t he? He said that this is a, I believe a quote, was that we’re celebrating, we’re celebrating democracy, we’re celebrating a peaceful transfer of democracy, what’s wrong with doing that?

Bachrach : Um, have you noticed any peace or any transfer of democracy in Iraq? If you have, you’re the first person to have seen it —

Quinn : Well, I’ve noticed the elections coming up, and Judy, to be honest with you, I really didn’t want to —

Bachrach : –don’t seem very peaceful.

Quinn : –argue politics with you this morning, you know, just wanted to get —

Bachrach : Oh, really, I thought I was allowed to talk about what I wanted to talk about.

Quinn : You cer– you certainly have that right, uh, let me ask you this, what, I mean, what, what should they have cut back on? I mean, we have lavish inaugurations —

Bachrach : How about 40 million dollars?

Quinn : All right, so how would you —

Bachrach : We have to —

Quinn : –what would you, how would you plan it —

Bachrach : May I say something?

Quinn : How would you plan it?

Bachrach : May I say something?

Quinn : Sure.

Bachrach : May I say something? We have soldiers who are incapable of protecting themselves in their Humvees in Iraq. They have to use bits of scrap metal in order to make their Humvees secure. Their Humvees are sitting ducks for bombs. And we have a president who’s using 40 million dollars to have a party. That’s a start.

Quinn : Judy, what would you suggest for the inauguration? How would you do it?

Bachrach: How about a modest party, just like FDR. I’m sure you’ll agree he was a pretty good president, with a fine sense of what’s appropriate and what’s not. And during a time of war, ten parties are not appropriate. When your own soldiers are sitting ducks, in very, very bad vehicles.

Quinn : Don’t you think that the president has given his proper respect to our troops? I mean, yesterday, as far as I can tell —

Bachrach : Respect means keeping them secure.

Quinn : — the festivities opened with a military gala, they ended with a prayer service, there just seem to have, certainly been a tremendous effort over the past couple of days, and more than that, to honor our troops.

Bachrach : Well, gee, that prayer service should sure keep them safe and warm in their flimsy vehicles in Iraq. I’d rather see that money going to them, rather than to a guy who already is president for the second time, and —

Quinn : All right, Judy Bachrach, I think we’ve given you more than your time to give us your point of view this morning.